The Trinamul Congress staged a protest today following the collapse of a guard wall on NH-19, alleging corruption and cut-money in the awarding of contracts and construction of the road stretch.
TMC flags
The Trinamul Congress staged a protest today following the collapse of a guard wall on NH-19, alleging corruption and cut-money in the awarding of contracts and construction of the road stretch.
Members of the Jamalpur block TMC obstructed traffic at Ajhapur point on NH-19 in East Burdwan, claiming the incident exposed how the construction company had compromised on quality. Block president Mehmud Khan alleged: “The contractor used rice husk ash from local mills instead of the mandated fly-ash from thermal power plants, to cut procurement and transport costs. This led to yesterday’s collapse of the flyover.”
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Around 40 feet of the newly built flyover at Sardanga near Memari caved in after the guard wall gave way, causing the road-bed beneath the bitumen layer to sink. Several vehicles narrowly escaped as police swiftly suspended traffic and diverted vehicles. The project had been assigned to a private agency from Dankuni, Hooghly.
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Similar partial collapses were recorded in 2023 and 2025 at Shaktigarh and Ajhapur.
District president Rabindranath Chatterjee echoed Khan’s claims, alleging: “Contracts were awarded at the BJP’s discretion against cut-money. This is a clear case of corruption and demands an impartial probe.”
NHAI official Shyamkumar Singh expressed surprise at the materials used, stressing the need for urgent health inspections of the stretches. East Burdwan DM Ayesha Rani A said: “We hold monthly road safety meetings with NHAI representatives. The Sardanga incident will be discussed this month.”
The district BJP has so far reserved comment on the TMC’s allegations.
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